STORICAL    SKETCH 


MATTERS  APPERTAINING 


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HISTORICAL    SKETCH 


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MATTERS  APPERTAINING 


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Copfs  Hill  Bubial- Ground^ 


Published   by  the  Cemetery  Department  of  the  City  of  Boston 


TRUSTEES 


J.  Albert  Brackett,   Chairman 
Jacob  Morse  Albert  W.  Hersey 

William  J.  Fallon  Frederick  E.  Atteaux 

Albert  E.   Smith,   Secretary 


BOSTON 

MUNICIPAL     PRINTING     OFFICE 

1901 


HULL     STREET     ENTRANCE,     COPP'S     HILL     BURIAL-GROUND. 


HISTORY  OF  COPP'S  HILL 


In  early  days  the  well  to  do  of  Boston  dwelt  largely  in 
the  North  End,  a  very  pleasant  and  convenient  part  of  the 
peninsula.  Until  the  time  just  succeeding  the  Revolution,  the 
North  End  retained  its  social  prominence ;  then  the  notables 
and  fashionables  began  to  leave  it.  It  was  quite  natural,  there- 
fore, in  accordance  with  the  custom  of  the  time,  that  the  town 
should  early  provide  a  burial-ground  in  this  comparatively  well 
settled  section.  In  1659  there  was  bought  a  lot  of  land  on  the 
summit  of  Copp's  Hill,  which  formed  the  nucleus  of  the  present 
cemetery. 

Copp's  Hill  was  an  eminently  suitable  spot  for  the  purpose. 
Although  lower  than  Beacon  Hill  and  Fort  Hill,  it  was  scarcely 
less  commanding  and  seemed  equally  a  topographical  feature. 
The  rectangular  plateau  on  the  summit  easily  lent  itself  to 
burial  needs.  Wood,  among  the  first  travellers  to  record  his 
impressions  of  Boston,  says  in  his  "New  England  Prospect" 
(London,  1634)  :  "  On  the  North  side  is  another  Hill,  equall  in 
bignesse  (to  Fort  Hill),  whereon  stands  a  Winde-mill." 

This  was  the  first  windmill  erected  in  the  colony.  These  old 
windmills,  in  the  days  when  corn  was  legal  tender,  were  useful 
servants  to  the  community  and  were  a  feature  of  the  landscape. 
Winthrop  records  a  mill  built  on  Windmill  Point  in  1636,  and 
three  others  were  put  up  by  1650.  After  Boston  had  become 
a  city,  the  two  last  surviving  windmills  still  stood  on  Windmill 
Point.  On  July  31,  1643,  the  town  granted  Henry  Simons, 
John  Button  and  others  all  the  land  between  the  Town  Cove 
and  the  marshes  beyond,  on  condition  that  they  erect  "  one 
or  more  corne  mills,  and  maynteyne  the  same  forever."  The 
"south"  and  "north"  mills  were  accordingly  constructed  on 
the  shore  of  the  Mill  Pond;  and  others  gradually  followed, 
including  later  a  sawmill  and  a  chocolate  mill. 

During  the  first  century  of  its  existence  the  burial  ground 
was  called  the  North  Cemetery,  this  name  giving  way  to  that  of 
the  hill  itself.  On  the  hill,  in  turn,  three  names  were  succes- 
sively bestowed'. 

At  first  it  was  generally  known  as  the  Mill  Hill,  and  the 
entire  district  about  the  hill  was  also  known  as  the  "  Mylne 
Field  "  or  "  Mill-field,"  being  frequently  so  named  in  grants  and 
conveyances  of  land.  The  early  settlers  in  Watertown  had 
there  built  a  windmill ;  and  Governor  Winthrop  notes  in  his 
diary  that  on  August  14,  1632,  "the  windmill  was  brought 
downe  to  Boston,  because   (where  it  stoode   neere   Newtown) 


it  would  not  grind  but  with  a  westerly  wmde."  It  was  set  up 
on  the  summit  of  Copp's  Hill,  where  for  years  it  ground  corn 
for  the  settlers  and  served  as  a  landmark  to  skippers  working 
into  the  harbor.  The  windmill  also  gave  its  name  to  "  ye 
Mylne  Field." 

As  the  old  windmill  thus  lost  its  uniqueness,  the  name  it  had 
given  the  north  hill  also  lost  its  hold,  being  supplanted  by  that 
of  "  Snow  Hill."  This  title  is  now  kept  only  in  Snowhill 
street  near  by.  The  name  may  be  due  to  the  drifts  that  succes- 
sive northeasters  left  piled  upon  the  hill  late  into  the  spring, 
but  is  more  probably  derived  from  a  certain  Snow  Hill  street  in 
London. 

In  its  turn  this  second  name  gave  way  to  Copp's  Hill,  so 
called  after  William  Copp,  who  from  about  the  time  of  the 
settlement  owned  and  dwelt  upon  a  half-acre  lot  on,  the  south- 
east corner,  near  Prince  street.  The  possessions  of  William 
Copp,  who  was  a  woi'thy  shoemaker  and  an  elder  in  Dr. 
Mather's  Church,  as  set  forth  in  the  Boston  Book  of  Posses- 
sions, were  :  "  One  house  &  lott  of  halfe  an  Acre  in  the  Mill 
field  bounded  with  Thomas  Buttolph  southeast:  John  Button 
northeast :  the  marsh  on  the  southwest :  &  the  River  on  the 
Northwest."  The  date  of  this  change  in  name  is  not  precisely 
known.  Some  of  the  maps  made  at  the  time  of  the  Revolution 
have  the  name  Copp's  Hill  attached  to  that  part  of  the  hill 
north-west  of  Snowhill  street,  where  Copp  dwelt. 

The  present  aspect  of  Copp's  Hill  and  its  surroundings  differs 
considerably  from  that  of  the  early  days.  Like  the  other  two 
hills,  Copp's  Hill  was  quite  bare,  there  being  scarcely  a  tree 
on  the  peninsula.  Dr.  Snow,  in  his  history  of  Boston,  gives  the 
following  description  of  the  hill  as  it  appeared  in  the  early 
days  :  "  The  hill  at  the  north,  rising  to  the  height  of  about  fifty 
feet  above  the  sea,  presented  then  on  its  north-west  brow  an 
abrupt  declivity,  long  after  known  as  Copp's  Hill  steeps.  Its 
summit,  almost  level,  extended  between  Prince  and  Charter 
streets  towards  Christ  Church ;  thence  south  a  gentle  slope  led 
to  the  water,  which  washed  the  south  side  of  Prince  street 
below,  and  the  north  side  above  Thacher  street  as  far  as  Salem ; 
eastward  from  the  church,  a  gradual  Ascent  led  to  the  North 
Battery,  which  was  considered  the  bottom  of  the  hill.  South- 
easterly the  slope  was  still  more  gradual,  and  terminated  at  the 
foot  of  North  square,  leaving  a  knoll  on  the  right,  where  at 
present  stands  the  meeting-house  of  the  Second  Church." 

"  On  the  southerly  slope  of  this  hill,"  says  Dr.  Shurtleff  in 
his  "  Topographical  Description  of  Boston,"  "  was  Stanley's 
pasture,  extending  to  Hanover  street,  and  covering  the  large 
tract  of  land  lying  between  Prince  and  Charter  streets,  the 
westerly  end  of  Bennet  street  at  its  junction  with  Salem  street 
being  the  centre  of  the  lot."  The  owner,  a  tailor,  who  died  in 
March,  1646,  deserves  to  be  remembered  as  the  first  person  to 
bequeath  the  town  property  for  the  support  of  public  schools, 


one  of  the  items  of  bis  will  reading,  "  I  give  to  the  maintenance 

of  the  free-schools  of  Boston  a  parcell  of  land  lying  aeere  to 
the  waterside  it  foiire  roads  in  Length  backward." 

In  the  early  days,  Conn's  Hill  and  the  land  around  its  base 
were  formed  almost  into  an  island  by  the  two  coves  running  up 
into  the  peninsula,  —  Mill  Cove  or  Pond,  or  North  Cove,  as  it 
was  first  railed,  on  the  north,  and  Town  Cove  on  the  south.  The 
North  Cove  stretched  over  to  the  point  extending  north-west 
from  the  Tramount,  or  Beacon  Hill,  and  high  tides  often  swept 
over  the  intervening  lowlands.  The  Town  Cove,  on  the  other 
side,  reaehed  inland  almost  to  the  foot  of  Brattle  street. 

At  the  foot  of  the  headland  was  a  small  stretch  of  beach, 
where  Commercial  street  (formerly  Lynn  street)  now7  runs,  the 
material  for  the  street  being  taken  from  the  summit  of  the  hill, 
where  Snowhill  street  was  cut  across. 

Three  of  the  half-dozen  points  then  prominent  in  the  shdVe 
line  were  grouped  in  the  Copp's  Hill  promontory.  Where  the 
gasometer  now  stands,  Windmill,  later  Wheeler's  Point,  pro- 
jected. At  the  junction  of  Charter  and  Commercial  streets  was 
"Ye  Mylne  Point,"  so  called  in  1635,  and  later  known  as  Hud- 
son's Point,  whence  Francis  Hudson,  the  fisherman  who  became 
a  ferry-man,  ran  his  ferry  to  Charlestow7n  and  Chelsea.  Merry's 
Point,  whereon  the  famous  North  Battery  was  built,  was  situ- 
ated between  the  Winnisimmet  Ferry  and  Battery  Wharf,  and 
was  so  called  after  Walter  Merry,  the  first  Boston  shipwright, 
who  there  built  his  wharf  a  few  years  after  the  settlement. 

Around  these  points  gradually  grew  up  a  considerable  shij)- 
wrighting  industry ,  many  grants  to  "  wharf  out "  being  recorded 
by  1660.  Most  notable  of  the  shipyards  was  that  of  Joshua 
Gee,  as  prominent  a  ship-builder  in  his  day  as  later  was  "Billy" 
Gray.  In  1698  Governor  Bellomont  said  that  Boston  owmed 
194  good  ships,  or  more  than  were  possessed  by  all  Scotland 
and  Ireland. 

A  great  change  in  the  surroundings  of  Copp's  Hill  was  inau- 
gurated by  the  chartering  on  March  9,  1804,  of  the  Boston  Mill 
Corporation,  successors  to  Simons,  Button,  and  others,  for  the 
purpose  of  filling  up  the  Mill  Pond.  After  25  years'  work, 
an  area  of  70  acres  was  thus  added  to  the  town.  Beacon  Hill  was 
mainly  resorted  to  for  filling,  but  beginning  with  1806  earth 
was  also  taken  during  several  years  from  Copp's  Hill,  lowering 
its  height  about  seven  feet. 

At  the  north-eastern  base  of  the  hill  dwelt  Boston's  first  col- 
ored colony,  then  called  "  New  Giiinea."  Inland,  as  far  as  the 
neck  crossed  by  the  Mill  Creek,  ran  the  quaint,  garden- 
fringed  streets  of  the  old  North  End,  the  good  end  of  the  tow7n. 
It  was  then  of  limited  area,  containing,  according  to  Shurtleff, 
but  680  houses  at  the  beginning  of  its  social  decay  at  the  end  of 
the  Revolution,  and  measuring  but  803  yards  in  length  and  726 
yards  in  breadth.  From  this  territory,  during  a  century  and  a 
half,  came  most  of  the  tenants  of  Copp's  Hill. 


6 

The  cemetery  itself  comprises  four  successively  acquired 
parcels  of  land  and  is  the  largest  in  the  City  proper,  the  total 
area  aggregating  88,800  square  feet,  or  about  two  acres.  It 
lies  to-day  between  Hull,  Snowhill,  and  Charter  streets,  the  exact 
boundaries  being  as  follows:  On  the  north-east,  about  314  feet 
by  Charter  street ;  on  the  north-west,  about  324  feet  by  Snowhill 
street,  above  which  the  cemetery  rises  twenty  feet,  being  sup- 
ported by  a  granite  wall ;  on  the  south-west,  about  330  feet  by 
Hull  street;  on  the  north-east  again  by  Marshall  place,  about 
120  feet  by  Marshall  place  and  about  127  feet  by  private  prop- 
erty ;  and  on  the  south-east,  about  123  feet  by  private  property 
and  the  Hull-street  Primary  School. 

The  land  for  the  North  Burying- Ground  was  purchased  of 
John  Baker  and  Daniel  Turell,  and  in  1735  the  transaction  is 
recorded  as  follows,  under  date  of  February  20,  1659,  in  the 
Suffolk  Deeds,  lib.  53,  fol.  153:  "John  Baker  and  Daniel 
Turell,  sell  to  the  Selectmen  of  Boston,  a  lot  of  land,  294  feet 
on  the  northerly  side,  252  feet  on  the  southerly  side  ;  in  breadth 
on  the  easterly  end  126  feet.  Butting  on  the  way  that  leadeth 
from  the  new  meeting-house  in  Boston  towards  Charlestown 
Ferry,  on  the  north;  on  the  land  of  William  Phillips,  southerly; 
on  the  land  of  John  Baker  and  Daniel  Turell,  easterly ;  and  on 
the  way  that  leadeth  from  Senter  haven  to  Charlestown  Ferry, 
westerly." 

The  North  Burying- Ground  is  thus  second  in  point  of  time  to 
King's  Chapel,  although  the  Granary  is  practically  contem- 
poraneous with  it.  Concerning  the  piece  of  land  that  had  been 
bought,  the  town  passed  the  following  order  November  5,  1660  : 
"  Itt  is  ordered  that  the  old  burying  place  shall  bee  wholly 
deserted  for  some  convenient  season,  and  the  new  places  ap- 
pointed for  burying  onely  be  made  use  of."  The  only  entrance 
at  the  time  was  from  Charter  street  until  the  next  addition  was 
made,  forty  years  later. 

By  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century,  enlargement  had 
become  necessary,  but,  as  was  usual  with  the  town  cemeteries, 
was  effected  only  with  difficulty  and  when  it  could  no  longer  be 
postponed  by  overcrowding  the  existing  space.  The  town  had 
voted  for  enlargement  some  time  before  it  was  accomplished, 
appointing  a  committee  which  seems  rather  to  have  neglected 
its  duty.  It  was  discharged  and  another  appointed,  consisting 
of  Hon.  Thomas  Hutchinson,  Timothy  Thornton,  and  Edward 
Martyn,  by  whom  the  necessary  land  was  promptly  purchased, 
January  7,  1708.  It  was  sold  to  the  town  by  Judge  Samuel 
Sewall  and  his  wife  Hannah,  and  formed  a  corresponding 
section  to  the  old  ground  on  the  south-west,  fronting  on  Hull 
street.  It  was  part  of  the  pasture  which  Mrs.  Sewall  had 
inherited  from  her  father,  John  Hull,  master  of  the  mint.  The 
deed  is  dated  December  17,  1711,  (Suffolk  Deeds,  lib.  26,  fol. 
97).  The  tract  thus  added  was  nearly  squai'e  in  shape  and  on 
three  sides  was  bounded  by  streets.     It  was  included  in  the  old 


Nortli  Burying-Ground.  The  principal  path  on  the  east  hill, 
cust  of  the  tool  house  and  parallel  to  Charter  street,  follows 
approximately  the  boundary  separating  the  Sewall  purchase 
from  the  original  burial-ground. 

'The  tract  long  known  as  the  New  North  Burying-Ground, 
and  now  called  simply  the  Small  Ground,  was  added  by  pur- 
chase in  1809.  The  deed  is  recorded  as  follows  under  date  of 
December  18,  1809:  "For  $10,000,  Benjamin  Weld,  and  his 
wife  Nabby,  sold  to  the  Town  of  Boston  a  parcel  of  land, 
bounded  south-west  on  Hull  street  148  feet ;  north-west  on  the 
burial-ground,  148  feet  and  6  inches ;  north-east  on  land  of 
Goodwin  and  others,  153  feet;  south-east  on  land  of  Jonathan 
Merry,  123  feet";  being  land  conveyed  to  Weld  by  Merry, 
October  21,  1809,  recorded  lib.  230,  fol.  191." 

This  lot  also  is  nearly  square  and  somewhat  less  than  one- 
half  the  size  of  the  old  yard.  It  comprised  part  of  Jonathan 
Merry's  pasture,  Merry  selling  it  to  Mr.  Weld,  who  disposed  of 
it  to  the  town.  It  was  long  known  as  the  New  North  Burying- 
Ground,  and  is  now  called  the  Small  Ground. 

In  1814  Hon.  Charles  Wells,  later  mayor  of  Boston,  built 
52  tombs  around  the  sides  of  this  enclosure;  and  in  1827 
Edward  Bell  built  15  more  on  the  site  of  the  old  gun-house  of 
the  Columbian  artillery.  The  new  ground  was  laid  out  sym- 
metrically in  tiers  and  several  bodies  were  interred  in  each 
grave.  The  first  interment  was  that  of  John  Richardson,  July 
6,  1810,  who  had  been  drowned  a  few  days  before. 

Again,  in  1819,  Hon.  Charles  Wells  became  the  owner  of  a 
small  tract,  usually  called  the  Charter  Street  Burying-Ground, 
between  the  old  and  new  grounds  and  Marshall  place  and 
fronting  on  Charter  street.  The  purchase  is  recorded  as  fol- 
lows in  Suffolk  Deeds,  lib.  262,  fol.  296:  "June  3,  1819,  John 
Bishop,  of  Medford,  sold  to  Charles  Wells,  for  $1,051.30,  land 
in  Charter  street,  bounded  north-east  on  said  street  20  feet; 
north-easterly  on  the  burying-ground  20  feet  wide ;  then  con- 
tinuing westerly,  70  feet  on  the  burying-ground  20  feet  wide  ; 
then  continuing  50  feet  more,  28  feet  wide ;  south-west  28  feet 
on  land  formerly  of  Dr.  Wm.  Clark,  but  now  a  burying-ground ; 
then  south-east  50  feet,  28  feet  wide,  then  continuing  70  feet 
more  20  feet  wide,  on  land  formerly  owned  by  William  Fowle ; 
being  the  land  which  Stephen  Gorham,  as  administrator  of 
Nathaniel  Holmes,  sold  to  said  Bishop,  December  14,  1791, 
recorded  lib.  184,  fol.  59." 

This  small  lot  Mr.  Wells  had  fenced  in  and  upon  it,  with  the 
consent  of  the  town,  he  erected  34  tombs.  The  intervening 
fence  was  later  removed,  and  the  yard  became  part  of  the  old 
cemetery. 

In  1832  a  final  purchase  was  made  by  Mr.  Jacob  Hall  and 
others  of  a  strip  of  land  adjoining  the  north-western  side  of 
the  old  burial-ground,  which  was  given  the  title  of  "  Hull- 
Street  Cemetery."     In  1853  this  section  was  discontinued  and 


the  bodies  it  contained  removed  to  Mt.  Hope  in  February,  1861. 
This  strip  was  on  the  present  site  of  the  gasometer  and  con- 
tained several  rows  of  tombs.  The  proprietors  at  the  same 
time  relinquished  certain  rights  of  way  to  that  part  of  Snow- 
hill  street  from  Hull  to  Charter  street,  which  had  been  merely 
a  private  foot-passage,  and  the  City  agreed  to  maintain  here  a 
public  walk  33  feet  wide. 

A  similar  private  burial-ground  of  much  more  ancient  date 
and  of  smaller  extent  is  still  kept  intact  in  the  very  centre  of 
the  cemetery.  Judge  Sewall  and  his  wife  on  January  7,  1708, 
sold  to  Joshua  Gee,  the  noted  ship-builder,  a  small  portion  of 
their  pasture  "  one  rodd  square,  in  consideration  of  two  and 
thirty  shillings  paid  them,  being  part  of  their  pasture  adjoin- 
ing to  the  north  burying-place,  in  which  parcel  of  ground  Mrs. 
Mary  Thacher  now  lyeth  buried ;  bounded  northerly  by  the 
said  burying-ground  and  on  all  other  sides  by  the  land  of  the 
said  Samuel  and  Hannah  Sewall,  with  no  right  of  way  except 
through  the  old  burying-place."  Mr.  Gee  bought  it  at  the 
urging  of  his  wife,  who  did  not  care  to  be  buried  among  the 
common  multitude.  The  only  restriction  was  that  he  should 
maintain  one-half  the  fence.  The  Mrs.  Thacher  who  lay 
buried  therein  was  the  wife  of  Judah  Thacher  of  Yarmouth, 
and  had  died  November  30,  1708,  aged  68.  Her  gravestone  is 
standing  in  the  north-east  corner  of  the  little  plot. 

This  enclosure  later  became  the  property  of-  Deacon  Moses 
Grant,  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  Boston  Tea  Party.  It  is  yet 
held  in  the  family,  being  in  possession  of  the  heirs  of  the  late 
Moses  Grant,  the  temperance  lecturer,  and  contains  the  remains 
of  three  generations.  The  spot  is  still  private  property,  quite 
exempt  from  control  of  the  cemetery  authorities. 

By  1840  burials  on  Copp's  Hill  had  become  comparatively 
infrequent,  and  there  was  no  further  need  of  expansion.  Beside 
the  changes  during  180  years,  there  were  minor  alterations  in 
the  appearance  of  the  cemetery. 

When  Snowhill  street  was  cut  through  the  edge  of  the  old 
bluff  and  extended  northerly  to  Charter  street  it  encountered  a 
row  of  old  tombs,  having  a  walk  leading  from  end  to  end,  with 
steps  at  each  extremity.  The  entrances  to  these  tombs  and  the 
tablets  thereon  were  transferred  within  the  fence.  About  1837 
the  whole  western  slope  beyond  Snowhill  street  was  dug  away 
and  the  existing  heavy  granite  wall  erected  to  protect  the 
cemetery. 

During  the  period  from  the  Revolution  to  1830  the  cemetery 
began  to  be  neglected,  until  on  May  27,  1833,  the  City  appro- 
priated $50  for  the  purchase  of  ti-ees  to  ornament  the  grounds. 
To-day  there  are  almost  200  trees  in  the  cemetery.  New  walks 
were  laid  out  in  1838,  and  many  stones  were  then  or  since 
removed  or  altered  in  position  with  the  same  mistaken  efforts 
at  symmetry  that  have  been  remarked  in  the  case  of  King's 
Chapel. 


9 

By  1878  the  hill  had  again  fallen  into  decay,  and  become  sub- 
ject to  all  kinds  of  depredations.  In  that  year  the  Board  of 
Health  appointed  the  present  superintendent,  Mr.  E.  MacDonald, 
by  whose  care  the  neglected  tombs  and  paths  have  been  re- 
stored to  orderliness  and  many  lost  tombstones  recovered. 

Two  hundred  and  twenty-seven  tombs  are  contained  within 
the  cemetery.  Two  of  the  number  belong  to  the  City,  one  for 
adults  near  Charter  street,  and  one  for  children  near  Hull  street, 
built  in  June,  1833.  Nearby  is  a  large  tomb,  set  aside  about 
1840  for  mariners.  The  oldest  tombs  were  built  in  1717, 
shortly  after  the  Sewall  purchase,  and  front  on  Hull  street. 
In  1722  a  new  range  of  tombs,  running  north,  was  started  at  the 
south-east  corner  on  Hull  street.  The  selectmen's  records  down 
to  1806  contain  numerous  grants  of  permission  to  erect  tombs, 
almost  invariably  with  the  provision  that  "  the  brick  wall  thereof 
be  carried  up  so  as  to  be  a  sufficient  fence."  In  1805  were  con- 
structed the  tombs  on  Snowhill  street,  and  in  1807  those  front- 
ing on  Charter  street.  We  have  already  recorded  the  later 
erection  of  tombs  in  1814,  1819,  1827,  and  1832.  The  latter 
date  practically  ends  the  growth  of  the  cemetery. 

During  the  century  to  1760,  it  is  estimated  that  one-fourth  the 
population  of  the  town  was  buried  on  Copp's  Hill.  The  de- 
caying stones  form  a  rude  epitome  of  most  of  the  North  End's 
history. 

That  part  of  the  cemetery  near  Snowhill  street  was  at  first 
reserved  for  slaves  and  freedmen.  The  remainder  contains  gen- 
erations of  the  old  North  Enders,  some  of  them  famous  in  local 
history,  others  simple  folk  who  have  left  merely  a  name. 

The  date  of  the  first  interment  is  unknown,  although  probably 
occurring  around  1660,  and  there  is  some  doubt  as  to  the  iden- 
tity of  the  oldest  stone.  Apparently  it  is  that  erected  to  the 
memory  of  Grace  Berry,  wife  of  Thomas  Berry,  who,  according 
to  the  inscription,  died  May  17,  1625,  or  five  years  before  Boston 
was  settled.  The  stone  is  of  old  Welsh  slate,  well  preserved  and 
with  the  carving  quite  distinct ;  the  edges  are  ornamented  with 
curves  and  at  the  top  are  carved  two  cherubs  and  the  angel  of 
death.  There  is  also  cut  a  shield,  without  quartering  of  arms. 
The  marks  of  British  bullets  are  visible,  this  stone,  like  many 
others  on  the  hill,  having  been  a  target  for  the  British  soldiers 
during  the  siege  of  Boston. 

It  has  generally  been  held  that  the  true  date  on  the  Grace 
Berry  stone  is  1695,  a  boyish  freak  of  Mr.  George  Darracott 
having  led  him  to  change  the  figure  9  with  his  jack  knife  into 
the  figure  2 ;  in  the  same  fashion  the  date  on  the  stone  of  John 
Thwing  in  King's  Chapel  was  altered  from  1690  to  1620.  In 
like  manner  the  dates  upon  the  stones  of  John  White  and  of 
Joanna,  the  six-months-old  daughter  of  William  and  Anne  Copp, 
has  been  altered  to  1625,  and  that  of  Abigail  Everden's  death  to 
1626.  Like  vandalism  is  evident  in  the  old  Charlestown  ceme- 
tery. 


10 

Custodian  MacDonald,  however,  accepts  the  date  of  1625, 
and  supposes  the  stone  one  of  the  oldest  in  New  England.  He 
relates  a  visit  to  Copp's  Hill,  in  July,  1878,  of  an  old  gentleman 
from  the  West,  who  produced  a  memorandum  book,  yellow  with 
age,  on  the  first  page  of  which  was  a  facsimile  drawing  of  the 
stone  with  the  coat  of  arms  (without  the  hullet  marks).  On 
the  first  two  pages  was  a  footnote  stating  that  the  stone,  together 
with  the  remains  of  Mrs.  Berry,  had  been  removed  from  Plym- 
outh in  1659.  "No  record  of  Grace  Berry's  death  can  be 
found  at  City  Hall.  —  MacDonald." 

There  is  little  likelihood  that  the  trouble  would  be  taken,  in 
the  early  days  of  perilous  traveling,  to  transport  the  remains  of 
a  person  of  no  particular  note  over  the  long  journey  from  Plym- 
outh to  Boston,  and  at  a  date  35  years  after  interment. 
Beyond  this,  moreover,  the  fact  is  that  Grace  Berry,  who  was 
the  daughter  of  Major  John  Jayman,  a  rope-maker,  was  living 
in  the  flesh  with  her  husband,  Thomas  Berry,  in  their  house 
near  the  Ship  Tavern,  at  the  junction  of  Ship  (North)  and 
Clark  streets',  very  many  years  after  her  reputed  death  in 
1625. 

The  oldest  stone,  accordingly,  is  one  bearing  the  date  of  1661, 
which  was  found  buried  beneath  the  surface  in  1878.  It 
stands  near  the  Shaw  monument,  and  preserves  the  memory 
of  the  grandchildren  of  William  Copp  in  the  following  inscrip- 
tion : 

DAVID  SON  TO  DAVID  THOMAS,   SON  TO   DAVID 

COPP   &   OBEDIENCE   HIS  COPP   &    OBEDIENCE   HIS    WIFE 

WIFE   AGED   2   WEEKS  AGED   2   TEAKS   &   3   QUARTERS 
DYED   DEC   22  DYED   JULY   YE    25 

1661  1678 

Near  the  centre  of  the  yard  is  erected  the  stone  commemorat- 
ing the  Kind  children,  long  supposed  the  oldest  stone,  but  really 
second  in  j)oint  of  age  by  some  six  months.  It  was  dug  up  in 
the  40's  by  Mr.  Glidden,  and  reads : 

MARY   KIND  WILLIAM   KIND 

AGED  AGED   ABOUT   1   YEAR   DYED 

DIED  YE   15   OF  AUGUST  YE   14  OF   FEBRUARY 

1662  1666 

THE   CHILDREN   OF  ARTHUR  AND  JANE  KIND. 

William  Copp,  who  gave  his  name  to  the  hill,  is  buried  in  the 
cemetery,  but  no  stone  to  his  memory  is  now  extant,  and  not 
much  is  known  of  him.  In  his  will,  dated  Oct.  31,  1662,  and 
proved  April  27,  1670,  made  after  he  had  become  "  sick  and 
weak,"  he  terms  himself  a  cordwa'iner,  or  shoemaker,  by  trade, 
and  leaves  his  property  to  his  wife  "  Goodeth,"  or  Judith.  The 
inventory  shows  property  of  the  respectable  sum  for  those  days 
of  almost  £110,  including  houses,  outhouses,  orchard,  garden  and 
land,  to  the  value  of  £80. 


11 

The  stone  erected  in  memory  of  his  wife  Judith  may  be  found 
in  the  northern  pari  <>t'  the  yard,  between  the  Shaw  monument 
and  the  Grant  tomb.  It  is  small  in  size,  and  extends  but  a  few- 
inches  above  the  ground. 

Many  of  the  name  of  Copp  were  buried  here.  Beside  that  of 
little  Joanna  Copp,  however,  and  the  two  grandchildren  men- 
tioned above,  only  eight  stones  still  remain.  David  Copp  was 
the  most  notable  member  of  the  family.  He  was  an  elder  in 
Cotton  Mather's  Church,  and  of  considerable  prominence  in  the 
North  End,  dwelling  in  a  brick  house  at  the  head  of  Hull  street. 
He  died  November  20,  1713,  aged  78.  Amy,  his  second  wife, 
died  November  28,  1718,  at  the  age  of  82.  The  stone  is  left 
standing  to  record  the  name  of  his  first  wife,  who  was  Obedience 
Topliff.  At  his  funeral  Judge  Sewall  notes  that  there  was 
present  a  distinguished  company,  with  "  a  pretty  many  Men, 
but  few  Women." 

The  Colony  records  show  that  William  Copp  was  made  a 
Freeman  on  June  2,  1641,  and  David  on  October  11,  1670. 
The  other  children  of  William  Copp  are  recorded  as  follows : 
Jonathan,  born  August  23,  1640 ;  Rebecca,  May  6,  1641,  and 
Ruth,  September  24,  1643.  In  later  days  the  Copp  family 
removed  to  Connecticut. 

A  long  list  might  be  made  of  the  tenants  of  Copp's  Hill  who 
possess  claim  to  mention,  as  being  at  least  of  local  note  — 
divines,  scholars,  and  patriots. 

Doubtless  the  most  famous  tomb  in  the  yard  is  that  near  the 
Charter-street  gate,  containing  the  remains  of  the  Mathers,  In- 
crease, Cotton  and  Samuel  —  the  "  Mather  dynasty,"  comprising 
three  generations  of  divines.  The  tomb  is  of  brick,  plainly 
built,  and  is  surrounded  by  iron  railings.  A  great  slab  of 
brownstone  forms  the  lid,  in  which  are  set  two  squares  of  slate, 
of  different  dates.  On  the  more  ancient,  in  almost  illegible  let- 
tering, is  carved  the  following  inscription  : 

THE  REVEREND  DOCTORS 

INCREASE,  COTTON, 

&   SAMUEL  MATHER 

were  intered  in  this  Vault. 

Tis  the  Tomb  of  our  Father  s 

MATHER  — CROCKER  S. 

I      DIED  Augt  27th     1723     M  84 

C     DIED  FEB  13th     1727     M  65 

S     DIED  June  27th     1785     M  79 

Here  lie  together  the  three  eminent  figures  in  Boston's  eccle- 
siastical history  between  1664  and  the  Revolution,  men  of  great 
general  learning,  of  emphatic  temperament  and  of  remarkable 
influence  in  the  affairs  of  the  age.  Their  history  needs  no  re- 
counting. They  were  buried  with  great  solemnity.  Six  of  the 
leading  ministers  formed  Cotton  Mather's  pallbearers,  while  in 
the  funeral  procession  walked  the  public  dignitaries.  The 
narrow  streets  were  thronged,  and  the  "  windows  were  filled 
with  sorrowfull  spectators  all  the  way  to  the  burying-place." 


12 

Many  of  the  numerous  descendants  of  the  Mathers  also  rest 
in  this  tomb.  Cotton  Mather,  for  instance,  had  fifteen  children 
by  the  first  two  of  his  three  wives.  When  the  tomb  was  last 
opened  sixteen  years  ago  for  the  interment  of  one  of  the 
Crocker  family,  the  remains  of  generations  of  the  family  were 
found  heaped  in  great  disorder. 

The  Hutchinson  tomb,  in  the  south-east  corner,  was  built 
about  1711.  Here  were  buried  Elisha  and  Thomas  Hutchinson, 
father  and  grandfather  of  the  governor.  Thomas  Hutchinson, 
who  died  December  31,  1789,  built  at  his  own  expense  the  first 
school-house  in  the  North  End.  On  the  sandstone  slab  covering 
the  entrance  of  tomb  is  beautifully  carved  the  family  coat  of 
arms.  Like  many  other  memorials  in  the  Boston  cemeteries, 
it  has  not  escaped  vandalism.  With  incredible  effrontery, 
one  Thomas  Lewis,  an  undertaker,  scattered  the  Hutchinson 
remains  to  the  winds,  took  possession  of  the  tomb  and  in 
place  of  the  honored  name  of  Hutchinson  had  carved  his  own. 

Another  notable  stone  is  that  commemorating  the  patriot, 
Capt.  Daniel  Malcom.  It  is  of  hard  blue  slate,  well  preserved, 
and  bears  the  following  inscription  : 

Here  lies  buried  in  a 
Stone  Grave  10  feet  deep 
CAPt  DANIEL  MALCOM  MERCH> 
who  departed  this  life 
October  23d 

1769 
Aged  44  years. 

a  true  son  of  Liberty 

a  Friend  to  the  Publick 

an  Enemy  to  oppre/sion 

and  one  of  the  foremo/t 

in  oppo/ing  the  Revenue  Acts 

on  America. 

The  stone  grave,  however,  is  built  of  brick. 

Malcom  was  a  merchant,  and  his  store  on  Fleet  street  was  a 
favorite  resort  of  the  haters  of  the  revenue  acts.  He  was  also 
a  warden  of  Christ  Church  and  vice  president  of  the  Charitable 
Irish  Society.  In  February,  1768,  aided  by  friends  armed  with 
clubs,  he  smuggled  in  at  night  a  cargo  of  sixty  casks  of  wine 
from  a  vessel  anchored  five  miles  down  the  harbor.  A  little 
later  he  presided  over  a  meeting  of  business  men,  at  which  it 
was  resolved  to  import  no  more  English  goods,  except  those 
needed  for  the  fisheries,  for  a  year  and  a  half.  Some  months 
afterward,  he  was  one  of  the  leaders  in  the  mob  which  resisted 
the  seizure  of  John  Hancock's  sloop  "  Liberty  "  by  the  boats  of 
the  British  frigate  "  Romney."  He  was  decidedly  obnoxious  to 
the  King's  officers,  and  six  years  after  his  death  the  British 
soldiers  made  his  tombstone  a  particular  target,  the  bullet  marks 
being  very  conspicuous. 

In  the  north-western  part  of  the  yard  is  the  stone  of  Capt. 
Thomas  Lake,  bearing  the  following  inscription : 


13 

Capt- 

Thomas  Lake 

Aged  61  Yeeres 

An  EmineNe1  Faithfvll 

ServaN  of  God  &  One 

Of  a  Publick  Spirit  Was 

PerfidovslJ'  Slain  K> 
ye  Indians  At  Kennibeck 
Avgvst  ye   14*h  1676 
1ERE  Interred  IE  13 
Of  March  Following 

The  story  runs  that  the  deep  slit  cut  into  the  stone  was  filled 
with  melted  bullets  taken  from  his  body.  The  knives  of  relic 
hunters,  however,  have  left  no  vestige  of  the  lead. 

Captain  Lake  was  a  man  of  fortune,  being  one  of  the  earliest 
proprietors  of  lands  in  Maine  and  New  Hampshire  and  actively 
engaged  in  commercial  pursuits.  He  commanded  the  Ancient 
and  Honorable  Artillery  Company  in  1662  and  1674.  He  served 
in  the  early  part  of  King  Philip's  War,  then  departing  for 
Arowsick  Island,  Maine,  which  he  owned  jointly  with  Captain 
Thomas  Clarke.  His  body  was  not  discovered  until  seven 
months  after  he  had  been  slain,  his  fate  being  meanwhile 
unknown. 

Not  far  from  the  Lake  stone  is  a  large  slate  block  preserving 
the  memory  of  Nicholas  Upshall,  who  died  in  August,  1666,  aged 
about  70.  He  is  notable  as  furnishing  one  of  the  good  examples 
of  religious  toleration  in  the  early  days,  and  although  a  man  of 
much  property  and  influence,  as  well  as  a  prominent  membei  uf 
the  church,  he  fell  a  victim  to  the  intolerance  of  his  fellow 
townsmen.  He  owned  land  in  1637  from  Hanover  street  to  the 
wraterside  on  the  northeast  side  of  Richmond  street,  and  was  the 
twenty-third  original  member  of  the  Ancient  and  Honorable 
Artillery  Company.  His  main  offence  was  his  kindness  towards 
the  Quakers,  who  were  zealously  prosecuted  by  certain  authori- 
ties from  Governor  Endicott  down.  For  bribing  the  jail-keeper 
to  supply  two  imprisoned  Quaker  women  with  food  he  was 
fined  £20  and  banished.  He  resided  in  Rhode  Island  during 
the  remaining  six  years  of  Governor  Endicott's  rule,  and  on 
his  return  gave  the  Quakers  the  free  use  of  a  room  in  his  house, 
wrhich  for  a  long  time  subsequent  was  known  as  the  "  Old  Red 
Lyon  Inn."  He  is  referred  to  as  follows  in  the  "  History  of  the 
Ancient  and  Honorable  Artillery  Company  :  "  "  Property,  moral 
worth,  public  services,  wife,  children,  friends,  cannot  preserve  a 
man  from  the  ruthless  fangs  of  religious  persecution.  The 
respectable  Quakers  of  the  present  day  (Lynn)  have  recently 
reclaimed  the  remains  of  their  former  brethren  from  the  old 
Quaker  burying-ground  lest  rapacious  hands  of  speculation 
should  trespass  further.  Why  do  they  not  redeem  the  ashes  of 
those  who  may  be  considered  among  the  first  martyrs  of  their 
sect?" 

In  December,  1878,  there  wras  discovered  among  five   stones 


14 

closing  the  entrance  to  an  old  tomb  one  with  the  following 
inscription  :  "  Recompense  Wadsworth,  A.M.  First  Master  of 
ye  Grammar  Free  School  at  ye  North  End  of  Boston.  Aged 
about  25  years;  Died  June  ye  9th,  1713."  The  establishment 
of  this  school  was  voted  at  a  town  meeting  on  March  11, 
1711-12,  and  on  March  9,  succeeding,  the  selectmen  were 
"  empowered  to  introduce  Mr.  Recompense  Wadsworth  at  the 
North  End,  and  to  allow  him  sixty  pounds  for  one  year."  The 
young  teacher  died  after  teaching  for  six  months  in  the  new 
school-house,  which  was  built  on  Bennet  street  in  1713. 

One  of  the  most  finely  carved  armorial  bearings  in  the  ceme- 
tery is  that  chiselled  on  the  well-preserved  slate  stone  over  the 
Clark  tomb  near  the  main  gate.     The  inscription  reads  : 

HERE  LTES   THE  MORTAL   PART 

of 

(William  Clark  Esq1-) 

An  Eminent  Merchant  of  this  Town,  and 

An  Honorable  Coun/ellor  for  the  Province  ; 

Who  Diytingui/hed  Him/elf  as 

A  Faithful  and  Affectionate  Friend 

A  Fair  and  generous  Trader  ; 

Loyal  to  his  (Prince),  Yet  always 

Zealous  for  the  Freedom  of  his  Countrey; 

A  De/piyer  of  Sorry  Per/ons  and  fiecle  Actions, 

An  Enemy  to  Priestcraft  and  Enthusiasm 

Ready  to  relieve  and  help  the  Wretched; 

A  Lover  of  good  Men  of  Various  Denominations 

And  a  Reverent  Woryhipper  of  the  (Deity) 

William  Clark  was  one  of  the  wealthiest  ship-owners  of  the 
time  and  an  original  member  of  Christ  Church.  His  brick 
mansion  on  the  corner  of  Garden  Court  and  Prince  Street,  later 
occupied  by  Sir  Henry  Frankland,  the  collector  of  customs,  was 
among  the  finest  in  town.  In  the  French  wars  he  suffered  the 
loss  of  forty  ships,  which,  with  other  reverses,  is  said  to  have 
hastened  his  end. 

His  stone  suffered  the  same  fate  as  that  over  the  Hutchinson 
tomb.  One  Samuel  Winslow,  sexton  of  the  First  Baptist 
Church,  boldly  appropriated  the  tomb,  ejecting  the  occupants, 
and  inscribed  his  own  name  above  that  of  the  rightful  owner. 

In  the  adjoining  tomb  sleeps  Dr.  John  Clark,  brother  to  the 
merchant,  a  very  worthy  physician  according  to  the  Latin 
eulogy  upon  his  finely  carved  tombstone.  The  seven  succeed- 
ing generations  of  the  family  each  produced  a  physician  of  the 
same  name. 

Among  the  most  illustrious  by  birth  of  the  cemetery's  ten- 
ants were  the  Mountforts,  long  a  prominent  North  End  family. 
Tomb  No.  17,  on  the  Hull  street  side,  built  in  1711,  bears  the 
name  of  John  Mountfort ;  and  No.  59,  erected  in  1724,  that  of 
Jonathan  Mountfort,  together  with  the  family  coat  of  arms. 
The    two    were    sons    of    Edmund    Mountfort,    who   fled   from 


15 

London  in  1(556  on  account  of  political  offences.  He  manicl 
a  granddaughter  of  Nicholas  Upshall,  and  died  in  1723,  being 
buried  in  the  Granary.  The  Mountforts  traced  their  descent  to 
an  ancient  Norman  family,  scions  of  which  came  over  with  the 
Conquest.  Turstain  de  Mountfort,  1030,  is  mentioned  in 
Dugdale's  "  History  of  Warwickshire." 

Jonathan  Mountfort  was  a  wealthy  physician  and  apothecary, 
his  shop  being  long  known  as  "  Mountfort's  Corner,"  and  was 
of  a  decidedly  eccentric  temperament.  He  was  one  of  the 
seceders  from  the  New  North  Church  in  1719,  and  helped  build 
the  "  New  Brick  "  or  "  Weathercock  "  Church,  of  which  he  was 
chosen  treasurer. 

John  Mountfort  was  a  member  of  the  Ancient  and  Honorable 
Artillery  Company  in  1696,  and  owner  of  Mountfort's  wharf. 
His  descendants  long  resided  on  Prince  street. 

Another  tomb  emblazoned  with  family  arms  is  that  of  the 
family  of  Joshua  Gee,  one  of  the  most  famous  of  the  old  ship- 
wrights, who,  as  we  have  noted,  purchased  the  small  private  lot 
in  the  centre  of  the  cemetery.  The  inscription  on  his  tomb 
reads  simply  :  "  The  Arms  and  Tomb  belonging  to  the  family  of 
Gee."  The  noted  Gee  shipyard  was  located  on  the  south-west 
side  of  Prince  street,  while  the  family  mansion  stood  on  the 
corner  of  Salem  and  Prince  streets,  known  as  "  Gee's  Corner." 
The  adjoining  lands  were  also  in  possession  of  the  Gees.  Judge 
Sewall  frequently  mentions  dining  with  the  Gees. 

A  plain  white  stone  in  the  north-west  corner,  bearing  the 
simple  inscription  :  "  Edmund  Hartt's  Tomb,  1806,"  records  the 
memory  of  the  yet  more  famous  builder  of  the  "  Constitution  " 
and  the  "  Boston." 

In  the  western  part  of  the  yard  is  the  Mariners'  Tomb, 
"  Dedicated  to  the  Seamen  of  All  Nations,  by  Phineas  Stowe, 
Pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Bethel  Church,  Boston,  1851."  It 
contains  the  remains  of  Emily,  wife  of  Dr.  Stowe,  who  died  on 
the  day  the  monument  over  the  tomb  was  completed,  and  also 
those  of  four  sailors.  The  cost  of  erection  was  met  by  contri- 
butions from  seamen  and  their  friends,  the  crew  of  the  United 
States  sloop-of-war  Albany  giving  $52. 

A  tragic  history  is  told  by  the  large  triple  stone  near  the  tool- 
house,  which  preserves  in  intricate  lettering  the  memory  of 
George  Worthylake,  aged  45 ;  his  wife  Ann,  40,  and  their 
daughter,  Ruth,  13.  Worthylake,  who  had  been  brought  up  on 
George's  Island,  was  the  first  keeper  of  Boston  Light.  On  No- 
vember 3,  1718,  the  family  set  sail  for  Noddle's  Island,  but,  the 
craft  capsizing,  they  "  took  in  heaven  by  the  way,"  according  to 
the  old  historian.  Franklin,  then  a  printer's  apprentice  to  his 
brother,  at  the  latter's  urging,  took  this  incident  as  the  theme  for 
a  street  ballad,  called  the  "  Lighthouse  Tragedy."  Although 
"  wretched  stuff,"  according  to  the  author,  and  severely  criti- 
cised by  his  father,  it  had  a  considerable  sale.  Unfortunately  no 
copy  is  now  extant. 


16 

In  the  northern  part  of  the  yard,  in  a  plain  brick  vault,  lie 
the  remains  of  Chief  Justice  Parker.  Near  the  north-west 
angle  is  the  much  more  pretentious  monument  to  Charles  Jar- 
vis,  a  noted  local  politician,  who  died  in  1807,  aged  59,  "a 
Statesman,  a  Patriot,  and  an  honest  Man,  whose  dignified  De- 
portment, sublime  Eloquence,  unbounded  Philanthropy,  and 
other  Virtues  endeared  his  memory  to  his  Fellow  Citizens."  A 
few  feet  away  is  the  vault  once  owned  by  Governor  Christopher 
Gore. 

Perhaps  the  most  ornate  monument  in  the  cemetery  is  that 
erected  by  Isaac  Dupee,  and  bearing  a  beautifully  carved  coat- 
of-arms,  together  with  the  following  tribute  in  verse  : 

MY  NAME  FKOM  THE  PALMS  OF  HIS  HANDS 

ETERNITY  WILL  NOT  ERASE  ; 
IMPRESSED  ON  HIS  HEART,  IT  REMAINS 

IN  MARKS  OF  INDELIBLE  GRACE. 
YES,  I  TO  THE  END  SHALL  ENDURE, 

AS  SURE  AS  THE  EARNEST  IS  GIVEN, 
MORE  HAPPY,  BUT  NOT  MORE  SECURE, 

THE  GLORIFIED  SPIRITS  IN  HEAVEN. 

A  simply  inscribed  stone  records  the  death  in  1778,  at  the 
age  of  66,  of  Dr.  Andrew  Eliot,  the  well  beloved  pastor  of  the 
New  North  Church.  A  beautiful  coat-of-arms,  said  not  to  be- 
long to  the  family,  is  carved  on  the  obverse  side.  Dr.  Eliot's 
house  is  still  standing  at  the  corner  of  Hanover  and  Tileston 
streets. 

Timothy  Thornton,  who  died  Sept.  19,  1726,  aged  79,  was  one 
of  the  committee  which  negotiated  the  Sewall  purchase.  He 
was  also  prominent  in  town  affairs,  being  several  times  town 
commissioner  and  selectman,  as  well  as  in  the  General  Court 
and  serving  on  the  committee  appointed  to  issue  bills  of  credit 
to  pay  the  debts  incurred  in  the  French  and  Indian  wars — the 
first  paper  currency  issued  in  Massachusetts. 

Edward  Martyn,  another  of  the  committee,  sleeps  at  the  right 
of  the  Hull-street  entrance.  His  tombstone  bears  an  elaborate 
coat-of-arms.  He  commanded  the  Ancient  and  Honorable  Ar- 
tillery Company  in  1715,  and  once  owned  most  of  the  land  from 
Hanover  street  to  the  sea. 

Beside  the  Ellis  tomb  and  monument  in  the  north-east  corner 
of  the  yard  for  over  forty  years  grew  a  willow  tree  of  interest- 
ing origin.  It  was  brought  as  a  slip  from  the  willow  that 
shades  the  grave  of  Napoleon  at  St.  Helena  by  Capt.  Joseph 
Leonard  in  1844,  and  here  transplanted  by  Roland  Ellis.  It 
was  destroyed  by  the  great  gale  of  1888. 

In  the  centre  of  the  yard  stands  the  tombstone  of  one  of  the 
foremost  of  the  Quakers,  William  Mumford,  who  died  in  No- 
vember, 1718,  at  the  age  of  77.  He  was  a  stonecutter  and 
builder,  and  on  July  10,  1694,  bought  a  lot  in  Brattle  square, 
whereon  he  erected  the  first  Quaker  meeting-house,  which  was 
as  well  the  first  brick   church  built  in  the  town.     In  January, 


COPP'S     HILL     BURIAL-GROUND.     (CENTRAL     PART.) 


17 

1708,  he  purchased  another  lot  on  Congress  street,  and  there 
built  a  second  meeting-house,  to  which  the  Quakers  repaired 
after  selling  the  earlier  edifice  Part  of  this  lot  constituted  the 
Quaker  burying-ground,  until  the  remains  contained  therein 
were  removed  to  Lynn  in  1825. 

On  the  northern  slope  of  the  yard  is  the  monument  erected  in 
1848  to  Major  Samuel  Shaw  by  his  grandson,  Robert  G.  Shaw. 
The  story  of  the  soldier's  life  is  briefly  told  by  the  inscription, 
which  runs  : 

[MAJOR  SAMUEL  SHAW,] 

third  son  of 

Francis  &  Sarah,  served  as  an 

Officer  in  the  Revolutionary  War, 

from  its  commencement  to 

its  close. 

On  the  22d  of  Feb.  1784,  he  sailed 

from  New  York  in  the  Ship 

Empress  of  China,  for  Canton,  as 

Supercargo  &  part  owner; 

this  being  the  first  vessel  that 

sailed  from  the  U.  States  for 

that  place 

he  was  appointed  by  Washington 

Consul  to  China,  which  office  he 

held  until  his  death  in  1794 

Near  the  front  gate  sleeps  a  fellow-soldier,  Major  Thomas 
Seward,  who  "  gallantly  fought  in  our  late  Revolutionary  War 
and  through  its  various  Scenes  behaved  with  Patriotic  Fortitude 
and  died  in  the  Calms  of  Domestic  Felicity  as  becomes  a  Uni- 
versal Christian,  November  27th,  1800,  M  60." 

The  following  commanders  of  the  Ancient  and  Honorable 
Artillery  Company  are  interred  in  the  cemetery :  Capt.  Thomas 
Lake,  Capt.  Ralph  Hart,  Col.  John  Carnes,  Capt.  Caleb  Lyman, 
and  Capt.  Edward  Martyn. 

On  the  western  slope  of  the  hill  is  the  stone  recording  the 
name  of  Deacon  Shemm  Drowne,  Hawthorne's  famous  carver  in 
wood,  who  wrought  the  grasshopj)er  on  the  Faneuil  Hall  vane. 
He  died  in  1774  at  the  ripe  age  of  90. 

Nearby  rests  Captain  John  Pulling,  died  January  25,  1787,  at 
the  age  of  51,  after  whom  was  named  the  headland  in  Chelsea 
fronting  on  the  water. 

Another  noteworthy  stone  is  that  erected  in  memory  of  Prince 
Hall,  first  Grand  Master  of  the  colored  Grand  Lodge  of  Masons 
in  Massachusetts. 

A  rather  pathetic  inscription  is  that  on  a  stone  near  the  Snow- 
hill-street  path,  reading: 

In  memory  of 

BETSY, 

Wife  of  David  Darling, 

died  March  23d,  1809  M  43 

She  was  the  mother  of  17  children,  and  around 

her  lies  12  of  them,  and  2  were  lost  at  sea. 

BROTHER  SEXTONS, 

please  leave  a  clear  berth  for  me 

near  by  this  Stone. 


18 

The  request  was  not  heeded,  as  Mr.  Darling,  who  was  sexton 
of  the  North  Church  and  also  a  grave-digger  in  the  yard,  was 
buried  in  another  part  of  the  yard. 

Mention  should  not  be  neglected  of  a  tiny  stone  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  yard,  reading  : 

SARAH   RULE 
aged  9  years 

died 
July  ye  5  1690 

This  little  lass  is  the  one  who  daubed  with  ink  the  papers  of 
Cotton  Mather,  moving  the  worthy  divine  to  great  wrath. 

These  are  a  few  of  the  more  notable  stones  that  claim  the 
attention  of  the  rambler  in  Copp's  Hill.  Almost  equally  note- 
worthy are  the  old  epitaphs,  many  of  them,  as  is  usual  in  old 
cemeteries,  quaint  and  curious,  some  incoherent  and  ungram- 
matical.  Doubtless  the  oddest  and  most  puzzling  is  that  over 
the  grave  of  Mrs.  Ammey  Hunt,  who  died  in  1769.  We  have 
no  clue  to  the  neighborhood  gossip  hinted  at  in  these  peculiar 
lines : 

A  sister  of  Sarah  Lucas  lieth  here, 
Whom  I  did  Love  mo/t  Dear; 
And  now  her  Soul  hath  took  its  Flight, 
And  bid  her  Spightful  Foes  good  Night. 

Even  more  amusing  is  the  tradition  connected  with  the  fol- 
lowing conventional  stanza  on  the  stone  of  Mrs.  Mary  Huntley : 

Stop  here  my  friends  &  cast  an  eye, 
As  you  are  now,  so  once  was  I ; 
As  I  am  now,  so  you  must  be, 
Prepare  for  death  and  follow  me. 

A  young  wag  is  said  to  have  added  in  chalk : 

To  follow  you  I'm  not  content 
Unless  I  know  which  way  you  went. 

Some  of  the  other  more  interesting  epitaphs  follow : 

Henry  D.  Emerson,  d.  Aug.  16,  1840,  aged  4 : 

"  Like  a  bright  flower  he  was  cut  down." 

Peter  Gilman,  April  12,  1807,  aged  42  : 

"Stop  my  friends,  and  in  a  mirroir/ee 
What  you,  though  e'er  so  healthy,  soon  niu/t  be. 
Beauty,  with  all  her  rosebuds,  paints  each  face ; 
Approaching  death  will  strip  you  of  each  grace." 

Mrs.  Betsy  Pitman,  1784,  aged  27  : 


1!) 

"lla/te:  Im/tc:   lie  lies  in  \v:iil,  lie's  al  t .In-  door. 
Insidious  Death:  /"hould  his /trong hand  arreyt, 
No  composition  sets  the  prisoner  free." 

Elijah  Swift,  May  9,  L803,  aged  7:; : 

"A  wits  a  featlior,  and  a  chief  s  a  rod  ; 

An  honest  man's  the  noblest  work  of  God." 

Mrs.  Eliza  Fuller,  Sept.  16,  L806,  aged  22: 

"  An  angel's  arm  can  t  snatch  me  from  the  grave, 
Legions  of  angels  can't  confine  me  there." 

On  an  old  monument  near  the  Winslow  tomb: 

"A  SAMUEL  returned  to  God  in  Christ 
After  a  short  abode  on  earth 
To  shun  earth's  barmes  and  crimes 
Was  here  well  put  to  bed  betimes 
The  grave's  as  short  as  you  prepare 
Lest  thy  death  come  at  unaware." 

James  Seward,  died  1792,  aged  G  months  : 

"  He  bore  a  lingering  sickness  with  patierfce,  and  met  the  King  of 
Terrors  with  a  smile." 

The  prophecy  contained  in  the  following  inscription  on  the 
stone  of  Major  John  Ruddock,  who  died  in  1772,  was  literally 
fulfilled,  the  words  having  almost  entirely  disappeared  : 

"  Time  may  efface  this  monumental  stone, 
But  time  nor  malice  can  his  worth  dethrone 
For  villains  living  oft  may  buy  a  name, 
But  virtue  only  swells  posthumous  fame." 

The  following  lines  are  carved  on  an  old  foot-stone,  without 
name  or  date,  probably  erected  about  1700  : 

"  What  is  t  fond,  mortal  yt  thou  wouldst  obtain 
By  spining  out  a  painful  life  of  cares; 

Thou  livest  to  act  thy  childhood  ore  again, 

And  nought  intends  but  grief  and  seeing  years. 

Who  leaves  this  world  like  me  just  in  my  prime 

Speeds  all  my  business  in  a  litel  time." 

Mrs.  Eliza  Meria  Revere,  died  1804,  aged  28  : 

"  Death  with  his  dart  has  pierced  my  heart, 

When  I  was  in  my  prime  ; 
When  this  you/ee  grieve  not  for  me, 

Twas  God's  appointed  time." 


20 


Capt.  Robert  Newman,  died  1806,  aged  51 : 

"Though,  Neptune's  waves  and  boreas's  blasts 

Have  tost1  me  to  and  fro : 
Now  well  escap'd  from  all  their  rage, 
I'm  anchored  here  below, 
Safely  I  ride  in  triumph  here, 

With  many  of  our  fleet, 
Till  signals  call  to  weigh  again, 

Our  admiral  Christ  to  meet. 
O  may  all  those  I've  left  behind 

Be  wash'd  in  Jesus's  blood, 
And  when  they  leave  the  world  of  sin 

Be  ever  with  the  Lord." 

Elizabeth  Kenney,  Sept.  10,  1807,-42. 

In  the  cold  mansions  of  the  silent  tomb, 
How  still  the  solitude,  how  deep  the  gloom, 
Here  sleeps  the  du/t,  unconcious  close  confin'd 
But  far,  far  distant  dwells  the  immortal  mind. 

Eliza  Starr  died  June  8,  1800,  —  6  yrs.  3  mos. 

Nor  Youth  nor  Innocence  could/ave, 
Eliza  from  the  in/atiable  Grave! 
But  cease  our  Tears  ;  no  longer  weep, 
The  little  Maid  doth  only/leep: 
Anon /he'll  wake  and  ri/e  again. 
And  in  her  Saviour's  arms  remain. 

John  Crease,  Dec.  8,  1800,-33. 

How  lov'd  how  valued  once,  avails  the  not 
To  whome  related  or  by  whome  begot; 
A  heap  of  du/ts  alone  remains  of  thee, 
Tis  all  thou  art  and  all  the  proud  /hall  be. 

Rebecca  Perkins,  March  16,  1802, — 19  yrs.  7  mo. 

My  friends  and  Parents  do  not  mourn, 
Nor  drop  one  tear  now  I  am  gone; 
Where  I  am  gone,  I  am  at  re/t; 
Pray  think  me  number' d  with  the  ble/t. 

John  James,  Dec.  22,  1803,-47 

Tho'  worms  destroy  this  Body's  skin, 

Yet  I  shall  see  my  Lord; 
He'll  build  my  Body  up  again, 

For  I  believe  his  word, 
My  God  that  lives  above  the  skies 

Shall  safely  guard  my  clay, 
Till  he  shall  bid  it  to  arise 

At  the  great  Judgement  day. 

William  N.  Steel,  Dec.  21,  1815,-3  mo.  6  ds. 


21 


.Inst  like  an  early  rose, 

We've  seen  an  infant  bloom, 

But  sadder  oft  before  it  blows 
Death  lays  in  the  tomb. 

Susanna  Gray,  July  9,  1798, —  42. 

Stranger  as  this  spot  you  tread, 
And  meditate  upon  the  Dead; 
Improve  the  moments  as  they  fly, 
For  all  that  live  must  shortly  die. 

Stephen  Kent  Chaclwiek,  Apr.  27,  1790, —  2  yrs.  8  mo. 

Beneath  this  Stone  doth  lye 
as  much  Virtue,  as  could  dye, 
Which  when  alive  did  vigor  give, 
to  as  much  Beauty  as  could  live. 

John  GofT,  Feb.  26,  1807,-44. 

My  glass  is  run,  my  life  is  spent 
My  earthly  temple  was  but  lent; 
Why  should  I  wish  a  length  of  years, 
To  spend  in  such  a  vale  of  tears. 

Hannah  Newhall,  Apr.  29,  1785. 

O  cruel  death  that  would  not  to  me  spare, 
A  loving  wife  a  kind  companion  dear, 
She  now  her  saviour's  beauty  does  behold, 
And  joins  to  sing  his  prai/e  on  harps  of  gold. 

Elizabeth  Brown,  Dec.  11,  1803,-35. 

When  the  last  scene  the  closing  hour  drew  nigh, 
And  earth  receded  from  her  swooning  eye, 
Tranquil  she  left  this  transitory  scene, 
With  decent  triumph  and  a  look  serene; 
By  faith  she  fix'd  her  ardent  hopes  on  high 
In  Jesus  mercies,  and  in  him  did  die, 
So  shall  her  grave  with  rising  flowers  be  drest, 
And  the  green  turf  lie  lightly  on  her  breast; 
Here  shall  the  morn  her  earliest  tears  bestow; 
Here  the  first  roses  of  the  year  shall  blow, 
While  angels  with  their  silver  wings  o'er  shade 
The  ground  now  sacred  by  her  relics  made, 
Then  rest  in  peace  beneath  this  sculptur'd  stone, 
Till  Jesus'  trumpet  call  thee  to  his  throne. 

Nathaniel  Lewis,  May  12,  1778,-42. 

What's  Fame,  a  fancy'd  life  in  other's  breath 
A  thing  beyond  us  ev'n  before  our  Death. 
A  Wits's  a  feather  and  a  Chief's  rod 
An  hone/t  Man's  the  noble  Work  of  God. 


22 

Sally  Goodwin,  Aug.  23,  1781,-25. 

My  hope  is  fix'd  my  Spirit's  free, 
Longing  my  Saviour  for  to  See ; 
Such  joy  and  bli/s,  doth  fill  my/oul, 
Nothing  on  earth  doth  me  control, 
My  loving  Hu/band  and  Infant  /mall 
My  Parents  dear  I  leave  you  all; 
My  Soul  doth  wing  the  heavenly  way. 
My  Saviour's  call  I  mu/t  obey, 
Read  this  and  weep  but  not  for  me. 
Who  willing  was  to  part  with  thee; 
That  I  may  re/t  with  Chri/t  above, 
In  peace  and  joy  and  endless  love. 

Elijah  Adams,  Aug.  25,  1798,-61. 

0  Death  thou  ha/t  conquer'd  me, 

1  by  thy  Dart  am  slain, 

But  Chri/t  will  conquer  thee, 
And  I  shall  ri/e  again. 

'4  Children  of  Jabez  &  Lydia  Sweet,  aged  4,  10,  12  &  14  raos. 

Stay  gentle  reader,  view  this  spot  of  Earth, 
Sacred  to  virtue,  innocence,  and  worth, 
Four  infant  roses,  budding  in  the  morn, 
Shed  their  sweet  fragrance  in  life's  early  dawn, 
Entwin'd  their  parent  stems,  so  fond  care/'d 
Each  gave  one  smile,  to  glad  the  pensive  brea/t, 
And  dropp'd  and  wither'd,  died!  Here  seek  repose, 
Till  Christ  transplant  them  in  the  groves  above, 
To  bloom  immortal  in  the  joys  of  love. 

John  Buckley,  Jr.,  Aug.  23,  1798,-23. 

In  Peace  here  re/ts  a  Traveller's  Du/t, 

His  Journey's  at  an  End; 

He  priz'd  E/teem  among  the  Ju/"t, 

A  Cen/ure  from  a  Friend, 

11  Broke  loq/'e  from  Time's  tenacious  Chains, 

And  Earth's  revolving  Gloom, 

To  range  at  large  in  va/t  Domains, 

Of  radiant  World's  to  come." 

Mrs.  Deborah  Blake,  d.  in  1791,  aged  21  years  : 

"  Friend,  as  you  pass,  suppress  the  falling  tear; 
You  wish  her  out  of  heaven  to  wish  her  here." 

Mrs.  Martha  Cabot,  d.  in  1809,  aged  60  : 

"  So  unaffected,  so  compos'd  a  mind, 
So  firm,  yet  soft,  so  strong,  yet  so  refin'd, 
Wasteing  disease  and  pain  severely  tri'd, 
The  saint  sustain'd  it,  but  the  woman  di'd." 

Capt.  William  and  Mrs.  Mary  Burke,  d.  in  1787  : 

"  They  were  lovely  and  pleasant  in  their  lives, 
and  in  their  deaths  they  were  not  divided." 


23 

Mrs.  Mary  Hughes,  d.  in  L765,  aged  16: 

"Time,  what  an  empty  vapour  t  is. 

And  days,  howywift  they  May: 
Our  life  is  ever  on  the  Wing, 

And  Death  is  over  nigh. 
The  Moment  when  our  Lives  begin, 

We  all  begin  to  die." 

Timothy  Gay,  d.  in  1799,  aged  36  : 

He  was  diligent  in  bu/iness,  faithful 

to  his  friends,  and  affectionate  to  his  family. 

"  Life's  little  Stage  is  a  small  Eminence, 

Inch  high  the  Grave  above;  that  Home  of  Man, 

Where  dwells  the  Multitude:  We  gaze  around; 

AVe  read  their  Monuments;  We  sigh;  and  while 

We  sigh,  we  sink;  and  are  what  we  deplor'd." 

A  great  deal  of  local  history  and  tradition  is  connected  with 
Copp's  Hill,  but  so  fragmentary  in  character  that  no  proper 
sequence  can  he  found  in  the  narration. 

It  is  presumed  that  in  1621  the  Plymouth  folk  landed  under 
the  shadow  of  the  hill,  as  told  by  Prince  in  his  "Chronology": 

"The  Governor  chuses  10  men  with  Squanto  and  two  other 
savages,  to  go  in  the  shallop,  Tuesday,  Sept.  18;  at  midnight, 
the  tide  serving,  we  set  sail;  next  day  got  into  the  bottom  of 
Massachusetts  Bay,  about  20  leagues  north  from  Plymouth,  and 
anchor  next  morning,  we  land  under  a  cliff.  The  sachem  of 
this  place  is  Obbatinewat." 

The  Ancient  and  Honorable  Artillery  Company  is  associated 
more  or  less  with  Copp's  Hill.  The  company  once  claimed 
ownership  of  part  of  the  hill,  under  the  terms  of  an  old  mort- 
gage, and  tried  to  prevent  the  transfer  of  the  Sewall  purchase. 
The  matter  was  adjusted,  and,  after  the  evacuation  of  Boston 
by  the  British,  when  the  company  again  laid  claim,  the  obliga- 
tion was  satisfactorily  discharged.  While  the  British  troops 
were  still  in  Boston  the  company  Avas  forced  to  use  Copp's  Hill 
as  a  parade  ground,  instead  of  the  Common,  as  thus  told  in  the 
company's  minutes : 

"In  1775,  before  the  Artillery  Company  suspended  its  meetings,  the 
Common  was  occupied  hy  the  British  army,  and  the  Artillery  Company 
were  refused  admittance.  Capt.  Bell,  therefore,  marched  to  Copp's 
Hill.  Soon  after  the  bridge  over  Charles  River  was  built,  there  was  a 
complaint  against  the  street  at  the  foot  of  this  hill.  It  was  supposed 
the  proprietors  of  that  part  of  the  hill  enclosed  from  Snowhill  street 
ought  to  repair  the  wharf  and  street  at  their  own  expense.  This  led  to 
inquiry,  in  town  meeting,  to  whom  it  belonged;  some  one  said  it  be- 
longed to  this  company.  Col.  Jackson,  their  Treasurer,  was  sent  for, 
and  declared  he  considered  it  their  property,  a  mortgage  upon  it  to 
them  having  long  run  out,  and  that  Capt.  Bell,  with  his  company,  had 
taken  possession  of  it  in  1775.  Capt.  Bell  was  then  interrogated  by  Col. 
Dawes,  the  Moderator:  Why  did  you  march  your  company  to  Copp's 
Hill?  Answer:  I  was  prohibited  from  entering  the  Common;  conceiv- 
ing this  hill  to  be  the  property  of  the  company,  I  marched  them  there, 


24 

as  a  place  no  one  had  a  right  to  exclude  them  from.  Question  hy 
Moderator:  Supposing  a  party  of  British  troops  should  have  been  in 
possession  of  it,  and  should  have  forbid  you  entrance,  what  would  you 
have  done?  Answer:  I  would  have  charged  bayonets,  and  forced  my 
way  as  surely  as  I  would  force  my  way  into  my  dwelling-house,  if  taken 
possession  of  by  a  gang  of  thieves.  The  late  Col.  Wm.  Tudor,  who  was 
then  present,  said:  l Mr.  Moderator,  the  hill  clearly  belongs  to  that 
company,  and  1  wish  they  would  execute  a  quit  claim  deed  of  it  to  me 
at  a  fair  price.1  The  Mortgage  was  discharged  afterwards,  and  the 
street  repaired  by  the  town.'1 

Closely  connected  with  the  history  of  the  hill  is  the  famous 
North  Battery  beneath  it  on  Hudson's  point.  It  was  built  by 
Major- General  John  Leverett  in  1646,  twenty  years  earlier  than 
the  erection  of  its  twin,  the  South  Battery,  or  Sconce,  at  the 
foot  of  Fort  Hill.  It  was  built  on  the  petition  of  the  North 
Enders,  and  at  their  expense,  they  praying  that  they  might  "  for 
the  future  be  freed  from  all  rats  and  assesments  to  what  other 
fortificacions  be  in  the  towne  untill  such  time  as  the  other  part 
of  the  towne  not  ioynninge  with  us  herin  shall  have  disbursed 
and  layd  out  in  equall  proporcion  of  their  estats  with  ours  as 
by  true  Acount  may  apear." 

A  committee  of  inspection  reported  on  both  batteries  in 
May,  1666,  saying :  "  Wee  also  tooke  survey  of  another  worke 
on  the  north  side  of  Boston,  called  Merrjes  Point,  raysed  with 
stones.  The  foundation  is  defended  from  the  violenc  of  the 
sea  wtb  spyles  &  plancks ;  the  wall  of  a  considerable  thick- 
nes,  yet  lesse  safe  then  the  other,  by  reason  of  the  sharpe  edges 
next  the  cannon,  &  widenes  of  the  ports  wthin,  which  beinge 
faced  wth  strong  timbers,  as  is  intended,  will  be  much  better." 

Capt.  Edward  Johnson  of  Woburn,  in  his  "  Wonder  Work- 
ing Providence  of  Sion  s  Saviour,  in  New  England,"  speaks  of 
the  "  very  strong  battery  built  of  whole  Timber,  and  filled  with 
Earth,  at  the  descent  of  the  Hill  in  the  extreme  poynt  thereof." 

Daniel  Neal,  in  his  description  of  Boston  in  1719  says: 
"  There  are  two  Batteries  at  the  North  and  South  Ends  of  the 
Town,  which  command  the  whole  Bay,  and  make  it  impossible 
for  an  Enemy  s  Ship  of  Burthen  to  ride  there  in  safety." 

In  1706  the  battery  was  extended  120  feet,  with  a  breadth  of 
40  feet,  at  an  expense  of  £1,000.  It  was  finally  sold  to  Jeffrey 
and  Russell,  and  became  Jeffrey's  Wharf  between  1787  and 
1796.     To-day  it  is  appropriately  called  Battery  Wharf. 

The  site  of  the  North  Battery  was,  possibly,  where  Win- 
throp's  company  landed,  and  where  Anne  Pollard,  the  first 
white  woman  to  tread  on  Boston  soil,  jumped  ashore.  Here, 
too,  was  Francis  Hudson's  ferry  landing.  From  the  Battery 
also,  the  52d,  48d,  and  47th  British  regiments,  together  with 
detachments  of  grenadiers,  light  infantry  and  marines,  embarked 
for  Bunker  Hill ;  and  here,  after  the  battle,  the  wounded  were 
brought  ashore.  At  the  time  of  the  evacuation,  the  Battery  was 
armed  with  seven  12-pounders,  two  9-pounders,  and  four 
6-pounders,  all  left  dismantled.  In  the  old  days  of  short  range 
guns,  the  North  Battery  was  regarded  as  of  great  importance, 


25 

because  covering  the  harbor,  the  mouth  of  the  Charles,  and  the 
entrance  to  the  Town  ( '<»\  e. 

In  May,  1644,  while  the  civil  war  was  raging  in  England,  a 
parliamentary  man-of-war  of  24  guns,  ('apt.  Thomas  Stagg, 
sailed  into  the  harbor  and  demanded  the  surrender  < » t'  a  Bristol 
ship  of  LOO  tons  then  in  port.  All  the  townspeople  assembled: 
on  Windmill  Hill  to  watch  the  expected  hostilities.  The  Bristol 
craft,  however,  prudently  surrendered. 

In  June,  two  years  before,  the  windmill  was  struck  by  light- 
aing,  shattering  the  sail,  breaking  the  standard  and  riving  off 
the  boards  of  the  sides,  beside  setting  on  fire  the  sacks  in  the 
null.  "The  miller,  being  under  the  mill  upon  the  ground 
chopping  a  piece  of  hoard,  was  struck  dead;  but  company 
coming  in  found  him  to  breathe,  and  within  an  hour  or  two  he 
began  to  stir,  and  strove  with  such  force,  as  six  men  could  scarce 
hold  him  down.  The  next  day  he  came  to  his  senses,  but  knew 
nothing  of  what  had  befallen  111111.'" 

The  surrender  of  Quebec  was  celebrated  by  a  great  bonfire 
on  Copp's  Hill.  "45  Tar  Barrels,  2  Cords  of  Wood,  a  mast, 
spars,  and  boards,  with  50  lbs  of  powder  were  set  in  a  blaze; 
this,  with  a  similar  illumination  on  Fort  Hill,  was  paid  for  by 
the  province,  together  with  82  Gallons  of  Rum  and  much  Beer." 

In  1765,  the  year  of  the  repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act,  Copp's 
Hill  was  the  scene  of  the  part  of  the  celebration  of  the  anniver- 
sary of  the  powder  plot  on  Nov.  5,  as  thus  told  in  the  Massachu- 
setts Gazette  :  "  About  noon  the  Pageantry,  representing  the 
Pope,  Devil  and  several  other  Effigies  were  brought  in  stages 
and  met  at  King-street,  where  the  Union  (between  the  factions 
from  the  north  and  south  ends)  previously  entered  into  by  the 
leaders,  was  established  in  a  very  ceremonial  manner,  and 
having  given  three  huzzas,  they  interchanged  ground.1'  After 
parading,  they  "  proceeded  to  the  Tree  of  Liberty,  under  the 
shadow  of  which  they  refreshed  themselves  for  awhile,  and  then 
retreated  northward,  agreeably  to  the  plan.  They  reached 
Copp's  Hill  before  six  o'clock,  where  they  halted,  and  having 
enkindled  a  fire,  the  whole  Pageantry  was  committed  to  the 
flames  and  consumed.  This  being  finished,  every  person  was 
requested  to  their  respective  houses."  This  was  the  customary 
observance  of  the  day. 

On  January  24,  1793,  a  barbecue  was  held  on  Copp's  Hill  in 
honor  of  the  French  Revolution.  After  the  feast  the  horns  of 
the  ox  were  fixed  to  a  pole  sixty  feet  high  and  triumphantly 
raised  in  Liberty  square. 

Copp's  Hill  figured  quite  conspicuously  in  the  Revolution. 
Works  w7ere  erected  by  the  British  on  the  summit,  near  the 
south-western  corner  of  the  cemetery.  They  wTere  hastily  thrown 
up  and  never  completed,  comprising  but  a  few  barrels  of  earth 
arranged  as  parapets.  There  wras  a  small  earthwork  to  the  rear 
designed  as  a  shelter  for  infantry.  The  battery  consisted  of 
three  28-pounders,  on  carriages,  which  were  left  spiked  after 


26 

the  evacuation.  Here  Clinton  and  Burgoyne  witnessed  the 
battle  of  Bunker  Hill  and  directed  the  tire  of  the  little  battery. 
One  of  the  shells  from  Copp's  Hill,  aiding  the  fire  of  the  ships 
in  the  harbor,  is  said  to  have  started  the  conflagration  in 
Charlestown.  Traces  of  the  works  remained  on  the  hill  until 
the  summit  was  lowered  in  1807.  It  was  from  the  North 
Battery  below,  that  Clinton  rushing  down  the  hill  when  he  saw 
his  veterans  quailing,  took  boat  and  crossed  over  to  the  Charles- 
town  shore  to  aid  Howe 

On  the  south  corner  of  the  New  Burying-Ground  added  in 
1809  and  fronting  on  Hull  street,  stood  the  old  gun-house  of  the 
Columbian  artillery,  afterwards  removed  to  make  room  for 
tombs  built  in  1827.  At  the  celebration  of  the  completion  of 
the  bridge  from  the  old  ferry  landing  to  Charlestown  in  1786, 
salutes  were  fired  from  Copp's  Hill,  as  well  as  from  the  Castle 
and  Breed's  Hill. 

The,  gas-works  at  the  foot  of  Copp's  Hill,  the  most  prominent 
feature  of  the  neighborhood,  were  erected  in  1828,  and  gas  first 
made  in  December  of  that  year.  It  was  not  used  to  illuminate 
the  City  in  general  until  1884. 

All  this  time  the  change  in  the  character  of  the  surroundings 
of  Copp's  Hill  which  we  described  in  the  beginning  has  been 
slowly  going  on,  the  old  houses  decaying  or  being  replaced  and 
all  but  a  few  of  the  old  families  removing  far  from  the  vicinity. 
There  still  dwell  on  Copp's  Hill  a  number  of  the  Dodds, 
Goddards,  Pitmans  and  Adamses  of  the  early  days,  but  the 
place  generally  has  acquired  a  new  and  changing  appearance. 

Perhaps  the  earliest  example  of  the  term  "  Copp's  Hill,"  in 
our  printed  records,  is  found  in  the  Selectmen's  minutes  of 
January   21,   1725-26. 


DATE  DUE 

JUL  -5   IS 

93 

n    ^  i    •<" 

Q9 

jl 

J[_    3  \     it 

'JO 

UNIVERSITY  PRODUCTS,  INC.    #859-5503 

BOSTON  COLLEGE 


3  9031    01565730  7 


F73*<>l.Bn 


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